They Still Have Peep
Originally uploaded by Beaver w/ a Toothbrush
We got five new chickens yesterday: three leghorns, a barred rock, and a buff orpington. The rock and the buff are only about four months old so they still peep instead of clucking. They are cute and not too shy. I've been picking them up to put them outside regularly (it's too hot to stay inside but they're scared).
The leghorns are a little older and also a little flightier. They are already laying good size white eggs. It's pretty amazing. They seem to tolerate the heat quite well too. They were a little aggressive yesterday but one of our older hens, Peepy, has been disciplining them and I think they're calming down.
Husband picked them up for a good price after he saw an ad on craigs. The lady who had them lived in town and she had been reported for having too many chickens (you're allowed two in residential areas per city code). The chickens don't seem to mind the change.
2 comments:
Lovely ladies! I know my friend who rescues/raises chickens in SE AZ has most of them pretty tame and picks them up with one hand under them from the front (with the exception of the really traumatized rescues). They flip out when I try to go in from the sides. During the winter they wouldn't want to go in their big warm house at night and we'd have to hunt them down and bring them in, James looked like a kid in paradise chasing chickens. I'm glad your older hen is teaching them w/o attacking, I hear that is common. Neat neat neat! You guys are so lucky.
I'll have to try picking them up from the front. The little ones have been getting out from time to time because they're light enough to fly over the fence so we play chicken chase.
They're not all totally getting along yet. The big ones are mean sometimes. We're thinking about getting a rooster. I read that good roosters help protect and manage the flock.
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